Rufus button



RUFUSQDUTTON, 0F NEW YRK,`N.Y.

Letters Patent No. 74,210, dated February 11, 1868.

IMrRov'EMENT ,1N HARVESTERS.

ilgtrlgmte ruimt tu in there trttcrs rtent mit 'lurking prut nf tige simu.

TO ALL WHOM ITA MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, RUFUS DUTTON, of the eity of' New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York,have invented a new and improvedA Method ot' Raising and Sustaining the Finger-Bar of Harvesting- Ma'chines; and I do'hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and cxactdescription thereof, and. of its mode or manner of operation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference Vmarked thereon, and making a part of this specification.

The nature ofmy invention consists in a new` and improved method of raising the finger-har to any desired height, and also of a device for holding or sustaining theiinger-bar in position when folded upon the machine. Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a machine, showing the shoe, arch-piece, and sheaves, for raising the finger-bar, such several parts being placed in proper position with respect to each other.

Figure 2 is an end view of such parts, showing them as they are when the finger-bar is level. Figure 3 is a similar vieu of such parts, showing them as they are when the end of` the finger-bar is below a level. Y l

Figure 4 is a similar viewl of such parte, showing them as they are when the outer end of the finger-bar is elevated. l 4

Figure 5 shows the location of the dri'vers seat, and the dii'erent positions of the lever and sheaves corresponding to thedi'erent 'elevations of the `finger-bar.

Figures 6 and 7 are diiferentvviews of'what is called the shoe-lever. v Figure 8vis a detached view of the shoe-hook,v or hook for holding the bar when folded. The ngerbar is raised or lowered by meansof the shoe-lever U,'acted upon by the chain w, and sheaves V and W, which are worked by the lever I, and the position of such lever U is shown in fig. 1. Such lever, towardhits lower end, is forkedfas shown in iigs.'1 and 6, so as to have two feet or bearng-points 1 2, and is fastened to the shoe by the bolts a a, which pass Vthrough the feet of such lever, and'through the shoe, forming o. hinge for the lever to turn upon; such bolts also connecting the shoe to the arch-piece N. The feet or ends 1 2 of such lever are rounded on their edges toward the finger-bar, so that it can turn freely toward such finger bar B, but such feet or ends are square on the opposite edges, so that thc lever will be rigid with the shoe, when turnedin a direction toward the machine. Fig. 2 shows tbe'position of such lever when the fingerbar is level; such lever being rigid in the direction toward the frame. Figure 4 shows such lever, drawn by the chain, passing over the sheaves V3 and W3 until it has been brought against the arch-piece -N. As such lever, when turned toward the machine, is rigid with the shoe, it will, when drawn against the arch-piece, as shown in fig. 4, raise or turn up the shoe, and thereby elevate the outer end of the finger-bar, giving to it the position B3,

`iig. 4. When the lever U is drawn to the position shown infig. 4, the'outer end ofthe linger-har will be raised or elevated from sixteen to eighteen inches. When the lever U is brought in suoli position, in contact with the arch-piece, if further power is applied, or the chain w drawn up-further, it .will have the effect to raise the shoe and bar, together with' the front end of the machine, so as to elevate' them all from eight to nine inches, or raiseV the shoe about that distance from the ground. The length of the chain w is'also such as to allow the outer end ofthe linger-bar to droop from-sixteen to eighteen inches, as shown in g. 3.

By making the lower part of the lever U forked, as shown in figs'. 1 and 6, and tuus causing it to rest and act uponV the shoe, on both sides of the finger-bar, and near where such shoe is connected to'the machine or arch-piece, the strain on the shoe is more evenly applied, and there is less tendency to twist or break the lever than when the lever is applied to only one end of the shoe, and upon or near only one of its hinges. 11i-the upper end of such lever U are a number of holes, by which the chain wis connected to such lever, according as it is desired to raise the inner end of the bar irst,lor the whole bar bodily, or the outer end of the bar first.

When it is desired that the inner end or heel of the finger-bar should be rst raised, the chain should be connected to the lever by the lower hole. When the who'le bar is to be raised bodily, the chain should connect -by the middle hole; and when the o'uter end of the bar is to be first raised, the chain should connect by the upper hole.

The sheave V1, iig. 2, is cast in a single piece, but isdouble, or is formed with two arcs of different radii;

that portion of such sheave nea-rest the lever haviugthe arc ofthe shortest radius. As the front end of the frame is light, if the sheave V were all of one curve, or upon the same radius, and the leverage the same on-thc side next the lever as on that side over which the chain passes,- instead'of raising the outer end of lhe lingerbar, by moving` the lever I, the frame and shoe of the machine would be lifted; but by using a sheave having arcs of different radii, but described from acomrnon centre, and thereby securing or alfording different leverages, the outer end of the finger-bar can be rst elevated, by applying force to the chain w passing over the upper sheave. y

Fig. 5 shows the location of the drivers seat, and thel'diiferent positions of the lever, which connects with the chain w, and by the operation of which the finger-bar is elevated. The red lines mark the two positions of the lever I as it is when the bar is in the positions shown in figs, 2 and 4, that is, when the bar is on the ground, and the machine ready for work, and whenl the outer end of the bar is elevated. lThe distance from 2 Ato 2 (the point 2 indicating where the chain connects with the lever) shows the length ofv chainA taken up in moving the lever from the position I2 to the position I3. The red lines 2 4 show the direction of the chain whenY the lever is thrown forward, :ts/represented by IZ, and the bar lies on the ground; the position ofthe sheavcV1 at such time being shown by the red line V2. The dotted line w shows the direction of the chain whcuthe lever is raised to a perpendicular position, as shown at I; the position of the sheave-at that time being shown by the black line W, and the red line W3 shows the position of such sheave when the lever is moved to its extreme position, shown at I3. 'l

When the bar is on the ground, and the machine at work, and the lever in the position I2, the chain 2 4, passing near the centre, 6, of the shea-ve, will exertor have but little power for raising the bar, and, when in this position, the first action of the lever is only to take up the slack or loose chain, which allows the outer end of the finger-bar to droop, in doing which the sheave will be brought nearly to the position shown by the black lineW, before any power will be applied to raise the outer end of the lever. When the power is first exerted for this purpose, very much less is required than would be necessary to raise the whole bar, or the bar and the front end of the frame together. Asl the lever is carried further back, .the position of the sheave constantly changes, increasing the distance in a direct line between the chain and the centre, b, and increasing also the leverage, until the sheave takes or reaches vthe position W3. i -The power 'applied or exerted to raise the whole bar, or the bar and frame, acting upon a longer leverage, is thus, in fact, no more than, or about the sume as, that required to elevate the outer end of the bar. .By such arrangement ofthe sheave,`ch`ain, and lever, therefore, the outer end o f the finger-bar, or the whole bar, or the bar and the front end of the machine, are raised by applying nearly a. uniform quantity of power to the lever. A

When the shoe and finger-bar are turned to a perpendicular position, as shown by the dotted lines R4, fig.

4, they are held or secured in such position by a hook, A, dropping and fastening over the projection 3 on the shoe.- Such hook, a detached view `of which isishown in iig. 8, is pivoted to the arch-piece N, at a3, above which pivot, and between the arch-piece and a suitable projection on such hook, is placed a spring, al, which keeps or holds the hook down over the projection on the shoe, and thus prevents the bar and shoe falling. When the shoe and archpiece are rotated or moved on the bolts s andp, (the slots m and n allowing su'ch meve1ncnt,) for the purpose of elevating or depressing the points of the guard-Hugers, the hook` A being attached to such archpiece moves with it and the shoe, and such hoolt and the projection 3 on the shoe remain unchanged in their relative positions with respect to each other. It', however, such hook were fastened to the frame of the machine, or to some part thereof, as thecoupling-,piece G and the arch-piece N were turned, the position of the hook remaining consta-nt or unchanged, the projection on the shoe would not come in position to receive or take such hook, so as tohold the bar when elevated. The arch-piece N is operated by a lever, and is rotated on the bolts 8 andp for the purpose. of elevating anddepressing the points ofthe fingers, and thus varying Vthe height ofthe cut of the machine.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl. In combination with a lever for raising the finger-bar, when such lever is forked, or' in two parts, at its lower end, so that it will have two points or surfaces to act upon theshoe, the double sheave V attached tothe frame of the machine, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

'2. rIhe use and application ot` the double sheave V1, in combination with a lever for raising the linger-bar, operating substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In combination with a device for rolling or lturning the points ofthe fingers, so attaching te the machine the hook, that holds up the finger-bar when folded, that such hook shall receive the same motion, when the pointsof the fingers are raised or lowered, as is communicated tothe shoe, for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination with the hook that holds the linger-bar when folded, when such hook is so attached to the machine that it moves with the shoe, when the fingerbar is turned, the application of a spring for holding such hook to the shoe, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

R. BUTTON.

' Witnesses:

S. D. LAW, FnED.- B. SnAns. 

